CALDWELL, N.J. - Junior forward B.J. Suchy (Ronkonkoma, NY/Our Savior) scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Caldwell College men's basketball team to a 67-66 victory over Holy Family University in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match-up Saturday night at the George R. Newman Center. With the win, the Cougars improve to 14-9 on the season, including a 9-7 mark in the conference, while the Tigers drop to 15-8, 10-6 CACC.
The first half remained close throughout, with four lead changes and neither team leading by more than six points. With the game tied at 24-24 at the 4:08 mark, a three-pointer by Ryan Lancaster helped the Tigers take a 29-24 advantage with less than two minutes left in the half. Freshman forward Sam Cricelli (Brighton, England/Culham) answered with a lay-up, then sophomore guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) hit a pair of free throws to make the score 29-28 Holy Family at the half.
The second half was more of the same, with the Tigers taking a five-point lead in the first four minutes of the half, only to have Caldwell tie the game on a three-pointer by Augustin with 13:40 on the clock. Holy Family built the lead back up to five when a basket by Edward Greene-Long made it 54-49 with 9:41 to play. The Tigers held a 61-57 advantage with 4:45 remaining when Caldwell made its push. A three-pointer by junior guard Hans Stelzer (Selden, NY/Our Savior), followed by two free throws by senior guard Jean Georges (Vauxhal, NJ/Spotswood) gave the Cougars a 62-61 lead with 3:34 left to play.
After the teams each made one free throw, a lay-up by Georges with 1:32 on the clock extended the lead to 65-62. Holy Family missed two shots on their next possession and fouled junior guard Michael Wise (Whitesboro, NJ/Middletownship), who made 1-of-2 at the line to put Caldwell up 66-62. Andrew Presner's basket with 26 seconds left cut the Cougars' lead to 66-64. Another 1-of-2 trip to the line by Wise game Holy Family a chance, but a lay-up by Lancaster at the buzzer was not enough to prevent Caldwell from ending the Tigers' three-game wining streak.
Caldwell turned the ball over just nine times in the game while dishing out 14 assists, including nine by Stelzer to match his career high. Suchy made 10-of-16 from the floor to eclipse his previous career best of 21 points set on Dec. 3 against Mercy College. Cricelli finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while Augustin, left, scored a season-high 11 points. Lancaster tallied 11 points and guard Raheem Scott added 17 for the Tigers in the loss.
The Cougars continue CACC play with a home game against Nyack College on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.
